School's Out
by LightFriendlyDarkness
Summary: A Walking Dead AU in which Carol realizes there may be more to her and Daryl's relationship than she thought.


Carol was stretched out on her towel on the sand. The sun was high in the sky, the beach was sparkling and it was almost low tide, so the waves were perfect. She watched as Rick and Lori chased each other in the surf and Glenn and Maggie combed the beach for shells. Michonne was laying out a few feet away, and Daryl was God-knew-where. Music played from a set of portable speakers nearby. For the first half hour they'd listened to "School's Out" on repeat, but then one of the lifeguards had politely asked them to change it. As she lay there, surrounded by her friends and beautiful scenery, she felt tears well in her eyes.

She couldn't tell if it was because she was overwhelmed with euphoria or crippling anguish. They'd all just graduated from high school, and she knew that this was one of the last times that they'd all be together. She was excited for the new chapter that they were starting in their lives, but at the same time, she was mourning the one they were leaving behind. She wished she could choose between the two emotions.

Rick picked up Lori, who was shrieking like a banshee, and carried her out into the water. They were moving into the city together in a couple months, having decided that they couldn't possibly live without each other. Carol knew they were in love; she was more certain of it than they were. She'd seen it in the way they looked at each other. Even if it didn't last forever, it was real in this moment.

 _In the moment,_ she repeated silently to herself, deciding that was where she needed to be.

She turned her attention to Glenn and Maggie. Their relationship wasn't as easy to define. As Carol watched them pushing and making fun of each other, she supposed that a stranger would assume that the pair were just good friends. But then came one of those brief moments where they looked at each other, just looked, but in a way that convinced Carol that they were meant to be together. She imagined those looks were more common in private, but they each had reputations to uphold.

Next, Carol turned her head to the side to observe Michonne, who was lying on her back, eyes closed against the sun. Over the past three years, she'd become one of the best female kickboxers in the state, and maybe the country as well. That title, as well as her fantastic grades, had won her a scholarship to some fancy college; Carol didn't know which one. Michonne didn't like to talk about herself a lot, which was why everyone had been surprised when she'd graduated as salutatorian of their class. It wasn't like they'd assumed she wasn't smart, they just didn't know she was such a genius. When they'd asked her about it, she'd just shrugged and refused to comment. She was a real mystery, which was part of why they loved her so much.

Carol was shaken from her thoughts as Daryl abruptly sat down in the sand next to her. "Where were you?" she asked once she'd recovered from the shock.

"Went for a walk," he explained shortly, looking down at his hands, which were twisting in his lap. Carol knew by now that this behavior meant he had something to say, and that if she pressured him, he'd refuse to share. Instead, she waited patiently.

If she didn't know him, Carol would have said that it was a miracle that Daryl graduated. But after studying with him and tutoring him over the past year, she knew there was a lot more to him than he let on. He was smart, and curious, although his own stubbornness sometimes got in his way. He was sweet, kind, funny, and brave, but also shy. She recognized him as her best friend, and she knew he thought of her the same way, although they never shared those feelings with each other. That sort of display of emotion would have been overwhelming on Daryl's part, and she always avoided things that made him uncomfortable.

"I'm going to keep going to school," he blurted out finally, distracting her.

She sat up, grinning. "Really? That's awesome!"

He ducked his head and looked away from her. "Yeah, it's just community college though."

"So what?" she punched him gently on the arm. "Everybody has to start somewhere! This is gonna open up so many new possibilities for you."

"I guess so," he shrugged, but Carol could see that he was smiling.

"I'm so proud of you," she told him, and he finally looked at her.

"Probably wouldn't have worked out if you hadn't helped."

"And I wouldn't have been able to help if you hadn't been willing to learn," she countered, and her response seemed to shock him into silence again.

Carol watched the waves crash onto the sand as she waited for him to speak again. Some people she recognized from school wandered by, looking at the scenery. Abraham, a huge, red-headed young man with a proportionally big heart was in the lead, closely followed by Eugene, a well-meaning hick who had the tendency to come off as a know-it-all. Abraham had taken the other man under his wing at the beginning of freshman year, and they'd been inseparable ever since. Their little clique was rounded out by Rosita, a small but temperamental Latina that was always getting into fights that Abraham had to pull her out of.

As Carol contemplated them, Abraham looked up and made eye contact. She gave a small wave and he nodded in return. The three travelers continued their journey down the beach, and Carol wondered where they would be after this summer. She'd never been more than acquaintances with each of them, sharing a few classes at most, but she couldn't help but speculate what each of them would be doing in life.

"I'm gonna take a gap year, though," Daryl announced, albeit quietly. She directed her attention back to him as he physically struggled to continue the thought. After a moment, he added, "I was thinking about going on a trip or something."

"Oh really? Where to?"

"Cross country. I've been fixing up that old Toyota, and I think she'll be road-worthy in a couple weeks."

"Wow. That's amazing," she said, looking at him with awe.

He looked away again. "I guess."

"What do you mean, you guess? That's gonna be so much fun!" She gushed.

"Do you want to come with me?" The words seemed to burst out of him almost against his will, and she saw his face turn bright red before he quickly looked away.

Carol sat forward, unable to stop herself from asking, "Are you serious?" She knew he never joked.

"Yeah." Daryl still wouldn't look at her.

"Of course I'll come!" She laughed, pushing him gently.

He finally met her eyes. "You will?"

"Yeah! My term at Berkley doesn't start until January. When do we leave?"

"Not until September, probably. I guess August would work too, if you wanted to go then." He seemed surprised by how eager she was. "Are you sure you want to come?"

"Why wouldn't I? You know I've always wanted to travel! And I've still got lots of money saved up from my summer job last year, so I can help pay for gas."

He looked relieved that she'd offered, but neither of them commented on the subject any further. She knew that money had always been a problem for his family, and there was no way that he'd be able to pay for both of them on the trip. She wondered how he'd even planned to pay for himself.

"Where do you want to go?" Carol could hear the slightest tinge of excitement in his voice, and it made her grin.

"Anywhere! Everywhere! Yellowstone? That's a classic. Or Glacier National Park, I've always wanted to see that, but it's really far away. But I also want to see the Pacific Ocean, and that's all the way across the continent. Ooh, we should go to New Orleans, there's so much culture!" He was smiling a little now, and she tried desperately to curb her enthusiasm. "Where do YOU want to go?" she asked out of habit.

"Anywhere you do."

"Really?" she said sarcastically, glaring playfully at him. "Surely you can think of SOMETHING you want to see."

Daryl shook his head. "I didn't have anywhere specific in mind. You should plan the sightseeing."

"Okay!" She was more than happy to concede. "I'll start as soon as I get home."

He chuckled. "We're not leaving for three months."

"Maybe two," she reminded him, "And I have to make sure you're okay with everything I'll put on the list."

"I will be."

"Yeah, but I have to be ABSOLUTELY sure."

"Remember that we have to be back by January," he reminded her.

Carol frowned. "That'll be difficult, but I'm sure I'll be able to find an efficient schedule that gets us back in time." She clapped her hands together. "This is going to be so fun!"

Daryl smiled his small smile and put his hands down as though he was about to stand up. Then he surprised her by leaning in and placing a gentle kiss on her cheek. She kept still, as she would around a frightened animal, so as not to startle him. When he leaned away and stood up, she smiled gently up at him. He nodded and shuffled away down the other side of the beach, and she watched him go with that smile still on her face.

When he was out of sight, she laid back down on her towel, folding her hands over her stomach. Her smile stretched over her whole face as she thought about all the places she'd wanted to go. She had so much planning to do.

"He likes you a lot," Michonne said without moving or opening her eyes. Carol had forgotten the other woman was there.

"Do you think so?"

"Yeah. I've never heard him talk so much around any of the rest of us."

"You're one to talk," Carol reached over and poked Michonne in the arm.

"I guess I am." Michonne laughed. "But seriously, I've seen the way he looks at you. You two have really got something special."

Carol looked out at the water at the rest of their friends. Rick and Lori were splashing and dunking each other, laughing all the while. Glenn and Maggie were sitting at the edge of the water; he had his arm around her, and she was leaning her head on his shoulder. Did she and Daryl really have something just as beautiful?

"Yes," she answered Michonne and her own question at the same time. "We do, don't we?"


End file.
